Pakistan failed to stop terror groups from recruiting & raising funds, US report сlaims

Pakistan has failed to prevent terrorist groups from raising money, recruiting, and training on its territory, according to a recent terrorism report published by the US Department of State.

The report blames the Pakistani government for not taking sufficient action to limit Lashkar eTayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the organisation responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, from training, recruiting, raising funds, and bypassing UN sanctions. It also says that candidates overtly affiliated with LeT were allowed to take part in July’s general election.The dangers of that “inefficiency” go beyond the country’s borders. Even though groups such as the Afghan Taliban, Haqqani Network, LeT, and JeM are located in Pakistan, they are focused on conducting attacks elsewhere, according to the report.

The document cites LeT and JeM as among the groups that remained a threat in 2018 and says they “maintained the capability and intent to attack Indian and Afghan targets.” It mentions the February attack by a JeM operative on an Indian Army camp, at Sunjuwan in Jammu and Kashmir, in which nine Indian officers were killed.

The paper also slams Pakistan for not restricting the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network from operating in Pakistan-based safe havens and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, despite Islamabad voicing support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office expressed disappointment with the report, claiming it lacks an objective evaluation of country’s efforts in the fight against terrorism.

India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism and cross-border attacks in Kashmir. Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have flared since August, when New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s special status, insisting it would help curb terrorism.

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